


Fall (4 years later)

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, Kidfic, STAHP IF YOU DON'T WANT IT, Spoilers, Spoilers for A Year in the Life, THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE I MEAN IT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-09-02 10:00:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8663074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: Hope Gilmore, Age 4, of Stars Hollow Connecticut, has an eventful week.





	1. Chapter 1

Hope Lorelai Gilmore is four and her feet dangle from the stool in her grandfather’s diner. 

It’s fall, and cold outside, and her favorite hoodie (the one Uncle Jess gave her for her birthday) is doing it’s job well. She presses her little hands to the Misfits symbol on the front and hums “Where is My Mind” as she waits for her breakfast. 

The diner’s door opens, and a gust of wind hits the back of her neck where her dark hair is parted and pulled into pigtails, and she turns carefully so she doesn’t fall off her seat, and lights up when she sees who’s just walked in. 

“Gramma!” 

The older woman beams and walks over, wrapping her arms around Hope and squeezing just tight enough. Hope snuggles into her grandmother’s pink coat, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and coffee. 

“Hi, pretty granddaughter.” Her grandmother takes the stool next to her and sets down her purse. “Has Grampa fed you yet?” 

“I’m working on it!” a voice calls from the kitchen. 

“Grampa’s making me bacon pancakes,” Hope announces. “Just like Jake makes for Finn.” 

Her grandmother grins. “Ooooooh, I might need to steal a bite, that sounds so good.” 

Hope smiles and swivels her stool, holding onto the counter, and Gramma rests a hand on her back for a moment before she gets up and walks behind the counter to get some coffee. 

“Gramma?” 

“Yes, Angel?” 

“When do I get to have coffee?” 

“Never!” Grampa calls out.

Gramma grins slyly. She blows on her full coffee cup lightly, and and holds it out to Hope, whispering. “Just a sip.” 

Hope lights up and leans in, slurping up just a little bit, before pulling back, her nose wrinkling on instinct as she swallows the bitter liquid. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what just happened!” Grampa snaps.

Gramma laughs softly. “You can have coffee when you don’t have that reaction anymore.” 

“Can I have hot chocolate?” Hope asks. 

Grampa steps back behind the counter with a full plate of bacon pancakes and sets them down in front of hope. “That you can have.” 

Gramma grabs a fork and cuts up the pancakes into smaller pieces, and they sing the bacon pancakes song together softly before she hands Hope the fork, and Hope eats some, and then feeds some to her. 

“When’s Mommy coming home?” Hope asks with a semi-full mouth. 

“Two days,” Grampa says. “You excited?” he sets a mug of hot chocolate down in front of her and plops the biggest marshmallow Hope’s ever seen on top of it, and Hope squeaks in delight. 

“I think she’s more excited for that,” Gramma chuckles. 

“Thank you, Grampa!” 

Grampa grins and reaches out, tugging one of the strings of her hoodie playfully before getting back to work.

“We are gonna welcome home Mommy with a feast,” Gramma says. “We’ll pull out all the stops. Chinese food. Tater tots and pie and sloppy joes.” 

Hope nods as she keeps eating her pancakes, content to just listen as her grandmother makes plans. Mommy has been gone almost four weeks, talking about her book and signing at book stores all over the east coast. 

Hope can’t wait to be old enough to read it. Everybody seems to love it, and she’s pretty sure it’s probably the best book that’s ever happened. Hope reads really well. Her favorite book is Sarah, Plain and Tall, and she’s read it so many times now. 

She sips her hot chocolate, and looks around the busy diner. She knows everyone here today. Kirk, Lulu and Petal, and Babette and Maury and Miss. Patty. Aunt Lane and the twins are walking in quickly from the cold. She waves at them, and then turns back to face the counter, watching her grandfather pour coffee, and her grandmother sip her own. 

She doesn’t look behind her when the door opens again, but she sees Grampa’s face light up a little. 

“Hey, look who’s here!” 

Gramma looks happy, too. But not happy like Mommy is home happy. 

“I was passin through after a signing, and I figured I’d stop by.” 

Hope’s eyes widen because that voice is one of her favorite voices. She whirls around, and almost falls right off her stool, but strong arms catch her, and she lets out a mostly involuntary squeal of happiness. 

“Uncle Jess!’ 

Her arms fling around his neck and she hugs him tightly, her little fingers gripping the leather on his jacket, and she feels and hears him laugh softly. 

“Jeez, you’d think somebody missed me,” he says, as he sits down on her stool, and settles her down on the counter. 

Uncle Jess looks happy, Hope thinks as she watches him closely, as he leans across the table a little to kiss Gramma’s cheek and then reaches over to hug Grampa. 

“Uncle Jess, do you want some bacon pancakes?” she asks excitedly. “How long are you staying? Are you gonna stay with us? Are gonna stay with Gramma and Grampa? Are you gonna be here when Mommy gets home?” 

Uncle Jess smiles at her. “I’m good on the pancakes, I’m gonna be here probably about a week, and I’m gonna stay here above the diner, and yes, I’m gonna be here when your mom gets back.” 

“You hungry?” Grampa asks. 

“Just coffee,” Uncle Jess says. 

“Uncle Jess, Gramma let me try her coffee today and it tasted yucky,” Hope says. 

He smiles and adjusts her hoodie gently. “Coffee’s kind of a grown-up drink. Maybe when you’re older you’ll feel different.” 

“Probably,” Gramma says.

“God I hope not,” Grampa grumbles. He settles a cup of coffee and a plate of toast and eggs in front of Uncle Jess. 

“I said-” 

“Eat,” Grampa demands before walking off. 

“So you’re really just passing through?” Gramma asks. 

Uncle Jess nods as he digs into his food. “Rory and I were texting. She asked me to check up on everybody...make sure you haven’t given her daughter diabetes quite yet.” 

“I know what I’m doing, thank you,” Gramma tells him. “A whole week. That’s a long time to hang out for somebody who’s got books to write and publish.” 

“Call it a vacation,” Uncle Jess says. “Plus, I think it’s high time someone taught Hope how to draw a chalk outline.” 

“Jess,” Grampa warns. 

“A chalk outline of what?” Hope asks. “I like chalk. I like purple chalk.” 

“Nothin,” Uncle Jess tells her. “Drink some more of your hot chocolate before it gets cold, huh?” 

He hands her the mug and makes sure she has it before letting go, and the soggy marshmallow hits her mouth, and it’s a burst of gooey chocolate that makes her smile.

Uncle Jess smiles back. “You guys okay with Hope and I hanging out today?” 

“Sounds fine,” Grampa says. 

“What’d you have in mind?” Gramma asks. 

“Hit a couple bookstores here and Woodbury,” Uncle Jess shrugs, and Hope automatically lights up again. “Grab some lunch later. Nothin’ big.” 

“Have her home for dinner?” Gramma asks. 

Uncle Jess nods. “You got it. I’m gonna go stash my stuff upstairs, and I’ll be right back.” 

Hope watches him go and then wiggles she’s so excited. “Gramma! Bookstores with Uncle Jess!” 

Gramma smiles. “I know. Two of your favorite things. Eat up! You’re gonna need some fuel if you’re gonna keep up with Uncle Jess and all those books.” 

She beams and takes a big bite of pancakes. 

Grampa groans. “Lorelai, don’t teach her to eat like that.” 

“I did nothing! Gilmores eat like that naturally!” 

Hope giggles.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke follows him up to the apartment, and watches him carefully. 

“What?” Jess asks. 

“Rory asked you to drop in, huh?” 

“Yup.” 

“You wanna tell me why?” 

Jess dumps his duffel bag on the bed and then turns to his uncle. “It’s complicated.” 

Luke lifts a wary eyebrow. “How complicated are we talkin?” 

“Well...Rory called me last night,” Jess tells him, as he walks over to the fridge, pulling out a couple of beers he knew would be there. “You’re gonna need this. Rory called me, because Logan Huntzberger spotted a photo of Hope on Facebook.” 

“So?” Luke shrugs, as he takes one of the beers. 

Jess opens his and takes a swig. “So Logan did some quick math on how old Hope is, and it dawned on him that he just might be her father.” 

“Ah, crap.” 

“Yep!” Jess nods. “So now, he’s talkin’ about coming here, and meeting Hope and he’s talking about wanting to be in her life, and Rory is spooked.” 

“So she asked you to come here,” Luke nods. “And now you’re drinking my beer at nine in the morning.” 

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Jess says. “Possibly in London. Where Logan would be coming from if he actually did hop on a plane to meet his other daughter.”

“He’s got other kids?” Luke asks. 

“Just the one other daughter,” Jess tells him. “Whitney, apparently, with his wife Odette.” 

“So what happens if he comes here?” Luke asks. “He asks for custody? What?” 

“Who knows if he even wants custody,” Jess points out. “But he wants to meet her.” 

“God, why didn’t Rory tell him to begin with?” Luke asks, bewildered. 

“Because she’s Rory,” Jess reminds him. “She hates confrontation so much that she avoids it until it stabs her in the face.” He sips more beer and then sets it down on the table. 

“But here you are, ready to step in and save the day,” Luke points out. “Again.” 

Jess blows out a breath. “I’m crazy, right? I’m nous for being here.” 

Luke nods. “Hard to argue.” 

“I should just take Hope out today, and then drop her off and go home,” Jess says. “Right? I should just...do the good Uncle thing and bail.” 

Luke stays quiet, watching him. 

“Shit. I’m not goin anywhere, am I?” 

“Nope.” 

He takes another swig of beer and sighs heavily. “God. I’m you.” 

“Nah. You’re not me,” Luke grins. “You’re better than me. Take a deep breath, and come back downstairs.” 

“You gonna tell Lorelai?” Jess asks. 

Luke freezes, thinking about that. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. I promised no more secrets, and I gotta hold to that.” 

Jess nods slowly and pats his uncle on the shoulder, before heading back down the stairs. 

When he makes it back down to the diner, Hope is ready to go. Her coat is on, and she’s waiting by the door, looking excited, hopping up and down in place, and Jess can’t help smiling. 

“Okay! Book hunting, right?” 

She nods, lighting up. She always lights up when she sees him, and he just…

Loves the crap out of this pint-sized little nerd in a way he’s never loved anything or anyone else in his whole life. 

Jess walks over and hoists her into the air and over his shoulder. 

“Bye, Gramma! Bye, Grampa!” 

Lorelai smiles and waves. “Bye, guys, have fun today!” 

Jess waves, and once they’re out the door, he breathes a sigh of relief that he won’t be around for what’s next.


	3. Chapter 3

Lorelai paces back and forth in her kitchen. Her phone is on speaker, and she’s waiting waiting waiting for her daughter to pick up. 

“Mom?” 

“Oh good! You answered.” 

“What’s wrong?” Rory asks. “Is Hope okay?” 

“Oh, Hope is fine,” Lorelai says. “Jess took Hope for the day, they’re book hunting around the area.” 

Rory’s voice is relieved. “Great. That’s great.” 

“Are you relieved because you know how happy Jess makes Hope? Or are you relieved because Jess beat Logan to Stars Hollow?” 

There’s a full twenty seconds of dead air, and Lorelai waits, standing still, crossing her arms. 

“You told me you told him,” Lorelai says finally. 

“I did.” 

“Did you?” 

“I told him I had a baby,” Rory says awkwardly. 

“You just didn’t tell him it was his baby,” Lorelai says. “Kid.” 

“It would have ruined his life!” Rory cries. “My being pregnant with Logan’s baby would have destroyed his engagement to Odette, it would have complicated his life in a way that he wasn’t equipped to handle!” 

“And you weren’t equipped to handle telling him,” Lorelai shakes her head. “Rory.” 

“I know, okay?” she says tearfully. “I know. I...it was a mistake, keeping Logan in the dark. I just...I didn’t know how to share her that way. She’s my daughter. Having to…to ship her off across the sea to spend time with Logan and his wife and their daughter? What if…” 

Lorelai sighs softly. “Well. Now you’re going to have to share, at least a little. Do you know when or even if Logan is getting here?” 

“He didn’t say,” Rory says quietly. “I have one more stop on this book tour and then I’m coming home. I...I asked Jess to beat me home so...so Hope would have more support if Logan got there before I did.” 

“You could end the tour early,” Lorelai points out. 

“I wanted to, but the publisher threatened to pull support for the next round if I did,” Rory says with a sigh. “I swear, I’ll be home as soon as I can.” 

“Okay,” Lorelai says softly. “Okay. I love you, Kid.”

“I love you too, Mom. Bye.” 

Lorelai hangs up the phone and rubs her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Hope wobbles a little under the weight of the books in her arms. “Uncle Jess?” 

“Yeah?” he asks, smiling as he takes some of the books out of her arms. “You got enough books there?” 

“No,” she tells him. “Uncle Jess?” 

“Uh-huh?” 

“Is something wrong?” 

His smile falls a little. “Why?” 

“Grampa looked sad when he came downstairs,” she tells him. “Why was Grampa sad?” 

Uncle Jess takes a breath and takes all the books out of her arms, before taking her hand and pulling her into a corner. He sits against the shelves, and helps her take a seat too, right next to him. 

He has that look, too. The look that Grampa had. 

“Uncle Jess what’s wrong?” 

He stays quiet for a long moment, before he looks down at her. “So...sometimes people get scared, and they make mistakes. You know what that means?” 

“They do bad things but they don’t mean to?” Hope asks quietly. 

Uncle Jess nods. “More or less...your mom...she sorta...did that.” 

“Oh.” 

“Hope, has your mom ever talked about your dad to you?” Jess asks. 

She thinks about that. As far back as she can remember, Mommy’s never talked about her real dad. Hope has always had Uncle Jess, and there’s Uncle Zach and Uncle Brian and there’s Kirk who is so silly but…

She shakes her head. 

“Well… Uncle Jess says, pursing his lips. “I don’t think he knew much about you either...so...he might be coming to meet you soon.” 

Alarm bells go off in Hope’s head, and her eyes widen. 

****** 

Jess watches the little girl carefully, remembering when his own estranged father showed up out of the blue in Stars Hollow. 

He’d been seventeen; almost an adult. Able to cope. 

Hope is four, and he’s not sure how she can really understand any of this.

He sighs softly and shifts, turning to face her, crossing his legs. “Hope. It’s gonna be okay.” 

She looks like she’s gonna hyperventilate, and Jess takes her little shoulders in his hands. 

“You know what? I didn’t know my dad for a really, really long time,” he tells her. “And when I met him, I felt nervous and confused too. But it’s okay. You know why?” 

“W-why?” 

“Cause you got me,” he grins at her. “And your mom, and Gramma Lorelai and Grampa Luke. And Nana Emily, too. You got a whole lotta people who are gonna be here for you no matter what happens. You’re not alone.” 

“Were you alone?” Hope asks. “When you met your daddy?” 

Jess blows out a breath. “Yeah. But I sorta...did that to myself...I didn’t have to be alone. But I made some dumb choices.” 

“Uncle Jess you’re not dumb,” she tells him, as if he’s just being silly, and he can’t help grinning. 

“The point is, it’s gonna be okay. Okay?” 

Hope nods. “Okay.” 

“Good. Let’s go pay for these books and grab a cheeseburger.” 

“Uncle Jess?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I call Nana Emily?” 

“Uh…”


	5. Chapter 5

Emily Gilmore parks her little blue Mini-Cooper rental in front of her daughter’s house, and gets out quickly. 

It took a little over four hours to get to Stars Hollow from Nantucket, but getting a phone call from your nervous-sounding great-granddaughter that she’s about to meet her father for the very first time makes you move much faster than you normally would. 

Lorelai steps out onto the porch, frowning. “Mom? Hi.” 

“Where’s Hope?” Emily asks, stalking up the walk. 

“She and Jess are on their way back from Woodbury,” Lorelai says. “They were book hunting today. What’s going on?” 

“She called me from Jess’s phone,” Emily says. “Logan is coming here?” 

“We don’t know, Mom,” Lorelai says. “No one knows when or even if Logan is coming, but he knows about Hope, and he didn’t before, so-” 

“How could Rory do this?” Emily snaps. “It’s bad enough, sleeping with an engaged man and getting pregnant, but then to just conveniently not tell him for four years?” 

Lorelai nods. “Believe me, nobody’s terribly thrilled.” 

Emily freezes. “You didn’t know he didn’t know.” 

“I was under the impression that she had told him,” Lorelai sighs. “It’s getting cold, come inside.” 

Emily steps inside and sighs heavily. “Well, there’s nothing for it now but to minimize the fallout. Hello, Luke.” 

Luke nods. “Hey, Emily. You hungry?” 

“Famished.” She slips her coat off and settles it on the coat rack. 

Luke steps out of the kitchen. “Jess should be back with Hope any minute, and dinner is almost done.” 

“Thank you, Luke,” Emily says, patting his shoulder. “It’s very nice of Jess to spend time with her.” 

“Ah, he’s nuts about her,” Luke waves it off. 

“Come sit, Mom,” Lorelai says, leading her into the living room. “I didn’t know you were coming, so we’ll figure out sleeping arrangements.” 

“I can sleep on the couch if I need to,” Emily tells her. “It’s not a problem.” 

“Oh, Mom, no,” Lorelai tells her. “No, you take Rory’s old room, and Hope can snuggle up on the couch. It’s like a king-sized bed for her, and Jess will probably make her a pillow fort or something.” 

Emily blinks at Lorelai. “Are Jess and Rory back together?” 

“No, why?” 

“It just seems like he makes an awful lot of effort with Hope…” 

“Hope is great, Mom. Why wouldn’t he?” 

“I’m only saying, it seems like a lot of effort...” 

Lorelai sighs. “A lot happened to Jess, Mom. He tries a lot harder to connect than he used to. Cancer kinda does that to people, I guess.” 

Emily blinks. “I...I didn’t know. I had no idea. When?” 

“Eight-ish years ago,” Lorelai tells her. “He was being treated in Hartford, he moved back here for a little while because Luke insisted, but at the time he really didn’t want anyone outside of a few people to know."

“We’re back!” Jess’s voice calls from the front door. 

Hope dashes in. “Gramma Nana!” 

“There she is!” Lorelai smiles widely. 

Hope climbs onto the couch and throws her arms around Emily, hugging her tightly, but doesn’t say anything. 

“Hopie, Dear, it’s all right,” Emily says, patting her back. She looks up as Jess walks into the room. “Hello, Jess.” 

He nods. “Mrs. Gilmore.” He sets two large grocery bags down on a table. “Don’t pick those up. They’re filled with books and the bags are way too thin.” 

“Of course they are,” Lorelai grins. “You told Hope?” 

“She asked,” Jess shrugs. “I couldn’t...ah, I couldn’t figure out a decent enough lie, and it felt wrong to try...” 

Lorelai sighs heavily. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just...hate all of this.” 

Emily settles Hope on Lorelai’s lap. “I’m going out on the front porch. I need to make a phone call, I’ll be right back.” 

**** 

She takes a breath as she takes her phone out, and presses the contact listing for Shira Huntzberger. 

She waits, and dreads because ugh. Rich Hartford housewives make her want to throw up these days. 

“Yes, hello?” 

“Shira? It’s Emily Gilmore.” 

“Oh! Emily, thank god!” Shira cries dramatically. “Say it isn’t true!” 

Emily rolls her eyes. “Shira, I need Logan’s travel itinerary so we know when to expect him.” 

Shira is, as always, in her own little world. “I just can’t believe Logan would ever do anything like this. And with your Rory! Why, they ended things years and years ago!” 

“Shira, your son is a skirt-chaser, and he has been since he knew what that meant,” Emily says impatiently. “Rory was in a very unsettled place in her life, and she made poor choices. I understand that you’re upset, but we need to know when Logan is arriving.” 

There’s silence for a moment, before Shira sighs. “His flight lands late tonight. He was planning on driving into Stars Hollow in the morning, before ten.” 

“Thank you, Shira,” Emily says evenly. “I’ll make sure everyone is ready when he gets here, so we can all talk.” 

“Emily.” 

“Yes?” 

“If Rory wants money-” 

“Trust me, Shira,” Emily says, her voice going cold. “Rory wants nothing from Logan, or you or your husband. If she did, Logan wouldn’t have found out by accident. Have a good night.”


	6. Chapter 6

Logan Huntzberger hasn’t slept in three days, and now he has jet lag. 

It’s not an ideal situation for meeting his daughter.

His other daughter. 

They’re almost the same age. Hope and Whitney. 

Hope is dark-haired and blue-eyed, like her mother. Like a Gilmore. But her smile is all Huntzberger and Logan should know. He’s used his own to get out of, and into a lot of trouble. Whitney is blonde like him, with dark brown eyes. She’s taller than Hope, Logan thinks. Hope had looked so tiny in that photo on Facebook, standing on a chair to blow out her birthday candles. 

His hands shake and whether it’s from too much coffee and not enough sleep or from rage or nervousness, Logan’s not sure. He suspects it’s all of those things, swirling around in his head and stomach. 

He parks the car near Luke’s Diner and closes his eyes. He hasn’t been here in almost five years. Not since he dragged Finn and Colin and Robert into that scheme to cheer Rory up. 

Not since, apparently, he and Rory had conceived a kid together. 

In the back of his head, Logan always knew. He always knew with the way he messed around with women, there was a good chance something like this might happen. He just hadn’t banked on it being with Rory. 

And he hadn’t ever considered the notion that she might just not tell him. 

When she’d mentioned she’d had a baby, he’d thought maybe she and Jess had settled down together, and while the guy isn’t Logan’s favorite, and he can admit to a little pang of jealousy over that, he woulda been happy for them. Or maybe Ace had just wanted a kid, and adopted or gone the surrogate route and gotten Paris’ help…

Nope. 

Turns out…

He sighs heavily, and gets out of the car, bracing himself against the cold wind, looking around. 

Nothing ever changes around here. Time passes, but Stars Hollow stands completely still, and it’s eries. 

A million things run through Logan’s mind, about how Rory is wasting her time in this place and how she’s now dragging their daughter down with her. 

Their daughter. 

Shit. 

For a moment, he turns back toward his car. He can pretend that this never happened. He can just...forget about this. Go back to Hartford. Drink until he can’t see, pass out, and then fly back to London and just not deal with it. 

But Odette would shove him right back onto the next flight because she wants this worked out. 

_“I always knew what was going on,” she’d scoffed at him. “I know you like to think you’re so very sneaky, Logan, but I am very, very smart, and you weren’t fooling anyone. Go meet your other little girl.”_

So here he is. 

When he opens up the door and steps inside, the entire place goes quiet, and he just...remembers how much he hates this town. 

He slowly steps up to the counter, where Luke is refilling coffees. “Luke Danes.” 

Luke looks at him and then gestures with the coffee pot toward the stairs behind him. “That way.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Upstairs,” Luke tells him. “Go on up.” 

“Where’s Rory?” Logan asks. “Where is Hope?” 

“Rory couldn’t get out of her book signing, she’s not home yet,” Luke says. “Go up.” 

Logan blows out a breath and storms behind the counter, behind the curtain and up the stairs, stalking up loudly, making his presence known. 

When he gets to the top of the stairs, Jess Mariano is standing there waiting for him, and he groans. 

“Aw, you gotta be kidding me.” 

“If you’d walked up the stairs like a normal human, and not a drunk angry troll, I wouldn’t have to do this,” Jess tells him. 

“What are you-” 

“You stomped up here like you’re ready to kick the door in,” Jess accuses him. “She’s four. She’s already scared out of her wits. You’re makin it worse.” 

“I’m not-!” Logan rubs his eyes. “I just wanna see my kid.” 

“Then calm down,” Jess tells him.

“I hate you,” Logan tells him. “I hate you, and I hate this place, and to be honest, I kinda hate Rory a little, too. I haven’t slept. I’ve barely eaten. I think my wife took my photo with her to a gun range last weekend.” 

Jess looks less than sympathetic. 

“You don’t care,” Logan nods. 

“The only thing I really care about is how you treat the little kid behind this door,” Jess says, leaning against it, crossing his arms. “She didn’t ask for any of this crap, and she’s floundering because her mom’s not home yet.” 

Logan blows out a breath, because he knows Jess is right. He needs to pull himself together. “Look. I...I just wanna meet her. We’ll figure other things out later, I just...want to meet my daughter.” 

Jess nods slowly and pushes off from the door, opening it up and leading him inside. 

Emily Gilmore is sitting on an old leather couch, and sitting next to her is that tiny four-year-old from that Facebook photo. She looks less happy here, in person. She’s paler, and Logan can tell that she’s worried, and it kinda hurts, because he knows she’s worried about meeting him. 

Her little fingers pick at the couch, and she’s sitting very close to Emily. 

“Logan, this is Hope. Hopie Dear, this is Mr. Huntzberger,” Emily says. “Can you say hello?” 

She looks up at him with wide, nervous blue eyes, and she lifts a hand to wave. “Hello.” 

He nods awkwardly. “Hi. I’m Logan.” 

“You’re my daddy?” Hope asks. 

Logan nods slowly. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure I am.” He takes a seat on her other side, leaving plenty of room between them, hunching forward and clasping his hands together. “I uh...I wish I’d known about you sooner...I would have liked to have been around for you.” 

“Gramma says you live very far away,” Hope says. 

“Well...I do. I live all the way across the ocean in England,” Logan tells her, grinning. “It’s a nice place. Have you ever been?” 

Hope shakes her head. 

“Well...you know...maybe...maybe you could come visit me sometime,” Logan tells her.

“Can Mommy come?” Hope asks. “I want Mommy to come. And Uncle Jess. Mommy and Uncle Jess. And Gramma. And Grampa. And Nana Emily. And Kirk.” 

“Kirk can’t come,” Jess says automatically. 

“Why not?” Hope asks. 

“Who’s Kirk?” Logan asks, looking perplexed. 

“Kirk’s on the no-fly list, he can’t go to London.” 

“Oh,” Hope says quietly. “Then I don’t wanna go to London. Solibarity.” 

“Solidarity,” Jess corrects her, grinning a little. 

Logan sighs heavily. “Then...I guess me and your step-mom and your half-sister will just have to come visit you here, I guess.” 

“I have a half-sister?” Hope asks, eyes going wide. 

Logan nods. “Her name is Whitney. You’re about the same age.” 

“Oh.” 

He grins a little at her. “And before you ask, because I know you’re thinking it, because you are four, Whitney is not wicked. She’s a nice little girl, like you.” 

“Does that mean I’m the wicked half-sister?” Hope asks worriedly. 

“Oh, Hopie, of course not,” Emily reassures her. 

“Yeah, somethin’ tells me your Nana is right on that one,” Logan grins. 

Emily looks him up and down, and he tries not to let it make him uneasy. 

He tries even harder not to let his stomach flip when Emily speaks up again. 

“Hopie, why don’t you and Uncle Jess go downstairs so Grampa Luke can make you some breakfast?” 

Hope hesitates for a moment, but nods and slips off the couch, bouncing over to Jess, who lifts her easily and throws her over his shoulder. 

“Bye Mr. Logan,” she says, waving to him.

Logan waves and nods, and once Jess has left with the little girl, he slumps back, blowing out a breath. 

“Is this where you give me the full lecture?” Logan asks. 

“No, it’s not,” Emily tells him. “Mostly, I just want to make sure you’re not planning on taking Hope away from Rory.’ 

He scoffs. “Why would I do that?” 

“Spite, among other things.” 

“Oh, come on."

“Logan, I haven’t seen you in many years,” Emily tells him. “Not since you and Rory ended things the first time when she turned down your marriage proposal. I have no idea what kind of person you have become since, and frankly, I didn’t have much interesting in finding out. We all thought you were aware of Hope and this situation, and had chosen not to deal with it, because it is, to put it lightly, a tangled mess.” 

He stays quiet. 

Emily takes a breath and looks at him. “So I will ask you this: What is your intention in coming here to meet your daughter?” 

“To meet my daughter,” Logan snaps. 

“And?” 

“To give Rory a piece of my mind,” Logan blurt out. “To...to figure out how to handle this. Where to go from here. To figure out if this kid wants anything to do with me? If she needs me, or wants me around.” 

It’s Emily’s turn to fall silent and listen. 

Logan sighs. “I’m not here to upend anybody’s life. I just wanna get to know my kid.”


	7. Chapter 7

The car ride from the airport is quiet for all of ten minutes, before Lorelai can’t take it anymore. 

“How could you not tell Logan?!” 

“I was scared!” Rory cries. 

“He’s Hope’s father! He needed to know he had another kid, Rory!” 

“I thought it was for the best!” Rory yells.

“No! You get pregnant, you let the man who got you pregnant know that something has happened! That...there is a human on the way that might look like him!” 

“She looks like me.” 

“That is the farthest thing from the point there is!” 

“You ran away!” Rory accuses her. “You left Grandma and Grandpa and Dad behind, you took me, and you just up and-” 

“They knew you existed!” 

“Fine! I made a mistake, I told you I made a mistake!” 

“One that you could have rectified any time since getting pregnant with Hope,” Lorelai says. “Any old time. Coulda picked up the phone, called Logan, said ‘are you sitting? Do you have a drink? Good, because you’re gonna not wanna be standing or totally sober for this one.’” 

“Mom!” 

“Rory!” Lorelai sighs. “We didn’t beat Logan to Stars Hollow. He’s already there.” 

Rory crosses her arms, looking unhappy. “Jess was there?” 

“Yes, Jess is there,” Lorelai says, frustrated. “Are you and Jess back together?” 

Rory says nothing. 

“Rory, for god’s-” 

“I want to be, okay?” Rory snaps loudly. “I want Jess. We talk all the time, Hope worships the ground he walks on, he’s always supported me, and been there for me when I needed him the most! He’s gorgeous and funny and smart and he’s successful and I want him back! Are you happy?!” 

“No I’m not happy!” Lorelai scowls. “If you’re so in love with him, why haven’t you told him?!” 

“I’m working up to it!” 

“Oh my god, do you know how long it’s been?! Work faster!” 

“Mom!” 

They pull up to the diner, and both of them go quiet. 

“I’m sorry,” Rory says. “I am. I just...I made a mess of all this. And I know that. And I know I should have tried harder to get home sooner. I just…” 

“You’re scared,” Lorelai finishes. 

“I’m terrified,” Rory admits. “I’m absolutely terrified.” 

Lorelai sighs and closes her eyes. “It’s gonna be okay. I promise you. But it’s not gonna be easy.” 

Rory nods. “I just...I don’t want him to take Hope away from me.” 

Lorelai wraps an arm around her tightly, and for a few long moments, they stay that way. 

***** 

When they walk in, Hope lights up and dashes over. 

“Mommy!” 

“Oh, there’s my girl!” Rory says, dropping to her knees and wrapping Hope in a tight hug. She breathes in strawberry shampoo and fall leaves, and feels tears prick her eyes again before she pulls back to look at her. “I think you got taller while I was away.” 

Hope shakes her head. “I checked.” 

Rory smiles. “You did?” 

The little girls nods. “Grampa measured me and I’m the same.” 

“Then I’ve just been away too long,” Rory says, hugging her again. “But I’ll be staying home for a really long time.” She pulls back again and smiles. “We can finally do that Muppet marathon you’ve been begging me to do.” 

Hope lights up. “Yay!” 

Rory beams and strokes her daughter’s hair gently. “So? Did you meet Logan?” 

Hope nods quietly. “He says that I should come and visit him in England, but I said I couldn’t because Kirk’s on the no-fly zone-” 

“List,” Jess chimes in, correcting her. 

“List, and I don’t wanna fly in salibarity.” 

“Solidarity,” Jess says. 

“Well that’s very thoughtful,” Rory giggles. “But you know we have to fly to visit Nana Emily.” 

Hope frowns. “...Oh…” 

“Wait, why is Kirk on the no-fly list?” Rory asks, confused. 

“Apparently he had an incident with the TSA,” Jess says. “They tried to search him, so he tried to search one of them back. Lulu says it was ugly.” 

“That’s...very Kirk.” 

“Mommy, Uncle Jess and I got books yesterday,” Hope says. “I can’t wait to show you what we got.” 

“We hit the jackpot in Woodbury,” Jess says. 

Rory smiles, but sniffles a little. “Hope, I’m so sorry I haven’t been here. I should have been here, this is a huge...this is the biggest thing you’ve ever gone through, and I wasn’t here and I just...I’m so sorry.” 

Hope hugs her again without saying anything, and Rory holds her tightly, only looking up when familiar footfalls descend the stairs. 

Logan appears from behind the curtain, looking awkward, and behind him, Emily steps out, and moves past him. 

“Rory, good, you’re home,” Emily says. “You and Logan should go upstairs and talk.” 

Rory sighs softly and kisses Hope’s forehead. “You stay down here and finish your breakfast. I’ll be back, and then you and me will get some ice cream.” 

Hope nods, and steps back, going over and hugging onto Emily’s leg. 

Rory takes a deep breath and looks at Logan. “Upstairs?” 

He just nods, and they head back behind the curtain.

***** 

Luke’s old apartment is emptier these days with the majority of his things moved into her childhood home, but it still smells the same. There’s still a kitchen table and chairs and his old couch. 

Rory doesn’t sit on it. She just crosses her arms and waits. 

“So,” Logan breathes out. “You got pregnant after the night at the tango club, and you didn’t tell me.” 

“I-” 

“Two years later, you tell me you had a baby,” Logan goes on. “And I thought. Well, you know, hey, maybe she just really wanted to be a mom. Maybe-maybe she found somebody. Maybe Jess or whatever. I figured hey, let’s not press. We’re not close anymore. Just be happy for Rory. But you lied to me. You lied to my face.” 

“Logan-” 

“You lied to my face!” 

She has no defense to that. 

He shakes his head. “So. Here we are.” 

“You married Odette,” Rory says. 

“What?” 

“You were in love with me, and you married Odette,” she snaps. “You married Odette because that’s what your mother wanted! That’s what your father expected. Not because you were in love with her. Not because you felt like you couldn’t live without her in your life. You married Odette to keep your parents happy so that they wouldn’t cut you off.” 

“What does-” 

“And here’s the truth,” she says, obviously not done. “What we were doing was wrong. We were wrong to have that affair. My grandfather had passed away, and I was grieving, and feeling lost because my career was going nowhere, and I fell into bed with you too many times to count because the sex was familiar, and great, but...wrong. And you knew it, and I knew it, and you didn’t know it at the time but that night? That was supposed to be goodbye! Because you were never, ever going to change, and I was planning to!” 

He glowers at her. 

She huffs out a breath and shakes her head. “And then I got pregnant. And dragging you back into things...when you were dead set on making what was basically, at the time, an arranged marriage work? Looking to your parents like I had gotten pregnant on purpose? For...whatever Mitchum has always thought I wanted from you?” Rory shakes her head. “I decided against it.” 

He says nothing. 

“Every time someone brought up your engagement, you broke out in a cold sweat,” Rory reminds him. “You could barely say her name when we were together. Odette was always ‘she’ and whether that was because you were terrified or because you were ashamed, or both I don’t know.” 

“I wasn’t ashamed.” 

Rory looks flabbergasted at that. “You should have been! I should have been!” She covers her face with her hands for a moment. “How do you think you would have handled the girl you were secretly sleeping with getting pregnant?” 

Logan looks away. 

“I’m sorry, Logan,” she says quietly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you. But at the time, I thought it was for the best. In a lot of ways, I still believe that.” 

He shakes his head and sits down. “So? What do we do now?” 

“Well,” Rory says, watching him carefully. “That depends on what you want?” 

He closes his eyes, looking frustrated. “I’m not here to take her away from you, Rory. Even if I wanted to, it’d be…” 

“Complicated?” Rory offers. “Embarrassing?” 

“Hey!” 

“Look, it’s not like I don’t know the world you live in, Logan,” she points out. “And I know what people expect from situations like this: All or nothing.” 

“Rory…” 

“Either you sweep Hope up and fold her into your family and pretend there’s nothing strange about that, turn her into a Huntzberger, or you never see her again and act like she doesn’t exist at all.” 

“Well, that’s not how it’s gonna be,” he says firmly. “I have no intention- no desire, to take Hope away from you. But...she’s mine, too. And I wanna get to know her. I want Whitney to know her sister. I want Hope to get to know Odette because as terrified as I was to marry her five years ago, now…” 

Rory smiles. “You love her.” 

“She’s kind of a bad-ass,” Logan admits. “She told my mother to shut up like eight times in one night.” He nods. “It was hot.” 

Rory laughs softly. “I have to admit, if I was gonna have a crush on a girl, it would probably be one who could put your mother in her place.” 

Logan lifts an eyebrow and she rolls her eyes. 

“Logan.” 

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” 

Rory takes a breath. “So? Short-term, what’s the plan? How long are you here for?” 

“Couple days,” Logan tells her. “This was sort of a...test-run I guess. Of meeting Hope...talking to you...also if I stay any longer I’m a little worried your boyfriend might beat me to death with a toaster.” 

“He’s not my-” 

Logan just smirks. “C’mon, Ace.” 

Rory pinches the bridge of her nose. 

He leans forward, grinning at her. “Do you remember the night I met Jess? I came home early from a trip to Omaha, and there the two of you were, in the driveway of your grandmother’s old house.” 

She nods slowly. “Hard to forget that night.” 

“It was hard not to notice how much you adored him,” Logan tells her. “You looked at that guy like he hung the moon.” 

“I did not.” 

“You looked at me like you had my number,” Logan goes on. “Because you did. You saw through all my crap, but you looked at that guy like you were his biggest fan. His own personal one-woman cheering section...and he’s yours.” 

“Logan…” 

“He’s in your book dedication,” Logan points out. “It’s your mother, your daughter, your grandparents, and your ‘Dodger.’ That’s not me. Sure as hell wasn’t Dean. Or Griffin.” 

“Who?” 

“The...your old boyfriend.” 

“Paul.” 

“Him.” 

Rory sighs heavily. “I’ll get you a room at the Dragonfly Downtown for the night. And tomorrow, you can spend some time with Hope. If she wants that.” 

Logan nods. “Okay. I’ll uh...I’ll go get my bag and head that way.” 

“I’ll call Michel and let him know to reserve a room.” 

“Thanks.” 

She watches him go, waiting until he’s out the door, before slumping down on the couch.


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner is an unsettlingly quiet affair, and Jess excuses himself halfway through his plate of food to step out onto the back porch for a breather. 

It’s getting chillier in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, and Jess wishes for his hoodie or a cigarette or both. 

He hasn’t thought about smoking in years. Not since...well. Not for a long time, but now, after the stress of the day…

The door opens and closes softly behind him, and he glances back, finding Rory leaning against it. 

“Hey.” 

She waves, and steps over to him. “I uhm...I wanted to thank you for coming all this way...getting here before Logan did, and being here for Hope…” 

Jess shrugs. 

“Just...thank you. I know you have a life, and spending extended amounts of time in Stars Hollow isn’t your favorite thing in the world.” 

“Seriously,” he tells her, firm but gentle. “Rory. It’s no problem.” 

Rory sighs softly and glances at him.

“What?” 

“Nothing, just...You.” 

“What about me?” 

She pauses for a long moment. “Do you remember the week when...when you were staying here, and I was in town, and you got the news that you were in remission?” 

He scoffs and grins at her a little. “You mean the ‘I beat cancer, let’s have sex’ week?” 

Rory grins just a little. “Yeah. That week.” 

“Hard to forget.” 

She’s quiet for a moment, before looking at him again. “Why didn’t we try again?” 

“Because the doctors weren’t sure if I would stay in remission,” he replies automatically. “You left four days later, and once they were sure, I went back to Philly. We had our lives to lead.” 

“I always thought about it,” she admits. “I thought about dropping everything, and showing up at your door, but I was so determined to make my journalism career work. To follow that dream.” 

“And now?” 

Rory shrugs. “Now there’s...there’s all this drama and here you are, diving right into a situation that you...by all rights could have stayed out of but didn’t because I asked for your help.” 

“We’re friends.” 

“And...I’m glad we are,” she says. “But…” 

He glances at her. “I overstepped,” he finishes. 

Rory blinks at him. “I-” 

“I told Hope about Logan coming here, and I shoulda waited for you,” Jess says, grinning ruefully. “I’ve became a really shitty liar in my old age. I’m sorry.” 

She laughs a little. “Jess.” 

“I don’t know when it happened,” he admits. “Maybe Unclehood has destroyed me. Or Liz. Liz might be-”

And then he’s getting kissed. It’s soft and slow and what year is it? 

Lorelai’s voice breaks the spell. 

“Rory! Your daughter has a carrot stuck up her nose!” 

Jess huffs and pulls back, grinning a little, and Rory grins, too. 

“Keep thinking what you’re thinking,” she tells him, before heading for the door. 

He blinks, and watches her step inside. 

“Huh.” 

***** 

“So? How did it go?” 

The new location of the Dragonfly is nice; only about four years old, with a spa and a little coffee shop just off of the lobby that turns into a little bar at night. 

Logan is sitting in a corner, nursing a scotch, his phone to his ear, his wife on the line. 

“It’s…” He rubs his eyes. “I guess it’s going as well as can be expected.” 

“What did Rory say?” Odette asks. She’s so casual about all of this, and it surprises him. 

But then, Odette has been surprising him for years now. 

“She...she said that we had ended things, and she didn’t feel right dragging me back in when she got pregnant,” Logan says quietly. “That’s she’s sorry she didn’t tell me, but she’s also not that sorry, because she thinks that at the time it was the right thing to do.” 

Odette sighs softly. 

“You wouldn’t have played this much differently, would you?” he asks. 

“Oh, no,” Odette chuckles. “No. I would have dragged you through the mud. I would have taken you for all you were worth and made your life a living hell.” 

Logan has to grin a little. “Ruthless.” 

“Quite. Rory is much too self-sacrificing. Someone has to teach that girl to bite.” 

“Please don’t,” Logan groans. 

“Well, Whitney and I are going to have to meet her sister at some point, yes?” Odette points out. 

Logan doesn’t reply. 

“Logan?” 

“Rory’s right,” he says. “Our world, it’s all or nothing. If I want to have regular contact with my daughter I fight for custody, and pretend like she’s always been a Huntzberger, or I get nothing at all.” 

“That is your father talking,” Odette says. “And your father is un morceau de merde.” 

“I speak French, you know,” Logan teases. 

“A poubelle peut feut avec de l'argent!” 

“You just called my father the French equivalent of a dumpster fire with money,” Logan points out.

“Oui.” 

“Is Whitney in the room?” Logan asks. 

“Of course not, it is three in the morning here,” Odette says flippantly. “Would you like me to keep insulting your father? I know it turns you on.” 

“Sometimes I hate you.” 

She chuckles. “I know. I also know you are not going to fight for custody of this little girl.” 

Logan sighs. 

“Because she has a life,” Odette. “Judging by Rory’s success, and close-knit family, if her book is to be believed, a good one. If you want to see your daughter, you’re going to have to do just that, without upending other people’s lives. Including hers.” 

“Have my parents called you?” he asks. 

“Your mother did,” Odette tells him. “She sounded as though she needed a chaise lounge for all of her ennui.” 

He groans. “Please don’t say the word ennui in front of Shira. She’ll only ask you if that’s a new kind of caviar.” 

Odette laughs softly. 

Logan shakes his head and lifts his glass. “You’re really not mad?” 

“You had Rory. I had Henri. We were both seeing other people, we just didn’t tell each other.” 

“Which is dumb when you think about it,” Logan points out. “We could have just fessed up, agreed to have an open relationship.” 

“And have that get around to our parents?” Odette scoffs. “Do you know how many chaise lounges your mother would have needed? She would have bought an entire warehouse of them, and fainted on every single one.” 

Logan can’t help laughing. “Odette.” 

“Yes?” 

“I love you.” 

“I know,” she tells him. “I love you too. My idiot. Get some sleep.”


End file.
